William edgar wall



(No Model.)

. E. WALL.

GOUPLING.

No. 468,449. Patented Feb. 9, 1892.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

XVIIIIIIAM EDGAR WALL, OF GRENADA, MISSISSIPPI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO SAMUEL II. GARNER, OE SAME PLACE.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,449, dated February 9, 1892.

Application tiled April 17, 1891. Serial No. 389,340. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIAM EDGAR WALL, 4a citizen of the United States, residing at Grenada, in the county of Grenada and State 5 of Mississippi,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Car-Couplers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to 1o which it appertains to make and use the saine,

reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which forni a part of this specification.

The present invention is an improvement in car-couplers designed for automatic operation when the cars approach and abut together; and the object is to render automatic the twin jaws of the device and to lock or zo confine said jaws in position after they have been properly engaged with each other, While at the same time a slight play or movement of the jaws is permitted, as is necessary in passing around curves.

Vith these ends in View my invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter fully described and claimed.

To enable others to understand my inven 3o tion, I have illustrated the same in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a plan view of the draw-heads and coupling devices. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section thereof, and Fig. 3 is a detailed view showing one of the jaws. Fig. @t is a detail view of the locking-pin.

Like letters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings, referring to whichn A B designate the two draw-heads, which are suitably mounted on the under side of the cars. The draw-heads are each provided with a forwardly-extending arm O, which is arranged atene side thereof, and in this arm is formed a slot c, while the upper and lower sides of the arm, at points beyond the slotted part thereof, are provided with the ears or lugs CZ d,between which is pivoted the swinging jaw or hook of the coupler.

5o D E are the two hooks or jaws of my improved coupler, which are the same in construction, except with such slight changes in the shape or position thereof as to adapt them to be applied to the contiguous ends of two cars. The head c of the coupling jaw or hook 5 5 is pvoted near one side between and to the lugs or ears on the arm C of the draw-head, the pivots being indicated at e. The hook or jaw is further provided with an abutmentretainer F, which extends inwardly from the 6o head of the hook and lies in a plane about midway of the height of this vertical head c, so as to ride or operate in the slot c of the arm @,forming a part of the draw-head. The abutment-retainer extends laterallyfrom the head of the hook or jaw, so as to lie in the path ot the head of the other jaw or hook when the hooks are placed in position for coupling, and the rear edge of the abutment-retainer is curved or made segmental in fornito adapt it 7o to support a gravity-pin or locking device G G', which is to be sustained in an elevated position when the abutment-retainer is swung around in the path of the head on an approaching coupling-hook, as indicated in Fig. 7 5 3. This gravit-y locking-pin is polygonal in cross-section11 referably rectan gular--and it works in an angular vertical hole or opening' g, formed in the drawhead. The lower end of the gravity locking-pin is cut away or re- 8o cessed at g to provide a shoulder 7L intermediate of the length of the pin, and when thc hook is adjusted for coupling this shoulder rests on the abutment-retainer and is thus supported in an elevated position; but when 8 5 the head on an approaching hook strikes the abutment the latter and the hook to which it is attached are swung around so that the head engages the head on the other hook or jaw, and the pin falls by gravity to interpose 9o itself in the path of the abutment-retainer and prevent the hook from turning on its pivot to uncouple. Each draw-head is further provided on the side opposite to its arm C with a detaining-arm H, which prevents the draw-heads from separating when rounding a curve, but permits the necessary oscillation without danger of the two heads becoming freed from each other.

The operation is simple and may be briefly roo described as follows: The hook or jaw on one head is turn ed to throw its abutment-retainer through the slot c, and thus drop the lockingpin which holds the head of said jaw in position to strike the abutment-retainer 0n the other jaw, while the last-mentioned jaw is turned so that its head is in line With the arm C, and the abutment-retainer thereof projects inwardly from said arm C and its pin is sus.

tained in an elevated position. Vhen the cars abut, the'adjusted jaw or hook is swung around to cause its head to engage the head of the ixed jaw and to withdraw its abutment-retainer from the locking-pin, thus a1- loWing the pin to drop and conne the jaWin place.

The device is simple and durable in construction, and thehhooks or jaws cannot become accidentally turned on their pivots under'the strain or pull of the cars, as the locking-pins are rmly held in the draw-heads.

What I claim as new is- In a car-coupling, the draw-head provided with the extended arm d at one side thereof and having the longitudinal slot in said arm and the vertical opening g in rear and to one side of the longitudinal slot, combined with the swinging jaws or hooks D E, each having` its broad fiat head pivoted near one end in one of the arms d and formed at its pivoted side with the integral right-angled abutment F, that Works in the slot in the arm, and the 'gravity-pins G G, tted in the vertical openings g g and having the shoulders 71, adapted to rest on the abutments F F When the pin is elevated and to lie in the path of said abutments Whensaid pins are lowered, as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

W'ILLIAM EDGAR VALL. Witnesses:

W. W. GARNER, J. A. ROANE. 

